Can opener



R. T. CHASE y Oct. 17, 1939.

CAN OPENER Filed Aug. lO, 1956 Patented Oct. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES CAN OPENER Reyburn T. Chase, Barrington,

Chase, executrix of said Reyburn T.

deceased Application August 10,

12 Claims.

My invention relates to an improved can opener of the type designed to cut out the top of a can by a blade moved along the side of the bead by which the top of the can is affixed to 5i" its side walls.

'I'he objects of my invention are to provide a can opener which can be easily and inexpensively manufactured from few parts, that requires noadjustment for cans of different shapes, sizes and 102 dimensions, that can be applied to a can without preliminary manipulation and removed therefrom with ease, that automatically brings the cutting member into cutting position, that automatically adjusts itself to varying thicknesses of can beads, and that can be easily operated by one hand, leaving the other hand free to hold the can being opened.

A further object of the invention yis to provide a can opener with a traction wheel so arranged that 20 it cannot bite into the side walls of the can.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a can opener in which all possible friction is eliminated so that it can be operated with little manual effort and no danger of injury to the operator.

25, Other objects, advantages, and capabilities of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction ywith the accompanying drawing, in which- 30, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a can opener embodying my invention, showing the various elements thereof in can receiving relation;

Figure 2 is' a transverse'sectional View taken on the line'Z-Z of Figure 1, showing the elements in 35'; initial can engaging relation;

Figure 3 is an elevational View showing the elements in operating relation;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, showing the can opener 40 traversing the seam in the side wall of a can; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5 5 ofFigure 2, depicting the details of the sliding member.

Referring to the drawing, the frame of the can 45y opener,fdesignated as a whole bythe reference numeralV I Il, is` generally rectangular or trape- Zoidal in elevation and U- or channel-shaped in transverse section'. The lower flange I2 0f the frame I9 serves asa guide to determine the loca- 50 tion of the can opener with respect to the side wall of the can, while the upper flange I4 is designed to locate the device with respect to the top of the can. An elongated hole I6 is cut in the wall I3 of the frame if) to provide a guide for the traction wheel 55 assembly, designatedgenerally as I8.

N. J.; Ora B. Chase,

1936, Serial No. 95,157 (Cl. 30-1v5) Mounted upon the upper flange I4 of the frame and spaced from the wall I3 is a cutting member or blade 20. This blade may be formed from the frame member, as shown, or made as a separate piece and affixed to the frame. Although I have found that a blade operates very efficiently if cut in the form shown, widened at the rear end 2l and beveled along the edge 23, blades or cutting members of other shapes may be used without affecting the principle of operation of this device. 10

The traction wheel 22 is toothed about its periphery and is secured to the reduced end of a shaft 24. This Wheel is made thinner than the bead of the can. A washer 26 is interposed between the traction wheel 22 and a shoulder 25 on 15 the shaft 24. This washer 26 is of greater diameter than the traction wheel 22 and may rotate with the shaft 24. When the can opener is operated the face of the washer 26 bears against the bead of the can, as shown in Figure 2, and permits only the peripheral teeth of the traction wheel 22 to contact the can.

Between the washer 26 and the wall I3 of the frame I0 is a sliding member 32 in the form of a plate provided with a hole 34 to receive the shaft 25 24. This member is shaped so that it may slide freely within the channel formed by the frame I 0. The sliding member has a pair of projections 36 adjacent its lower edge adapted to contact the Washer 26, and at its upper edge it is provided with a short flange 38 which is adapted to bear against the wall I3 when the traction wheel assembly is in retrograde position, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and is adapted to enter the opening Il when the traction wheel assembly is in cutting position.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, a shoulder 40 is also formed upon the sliding member 32 to engage an edge of the opening II out in the upper flange I4 of the frame I0 and thus limit the forward motion of the slid- 40 ing member 32, although other forms of stop may be used equally well for this purpose. The sliding member 32 also has a hole 35, generally circular in form, in which is placed a blank wheel or disc 3l of such size and so positioned as to make arperipheral contact bothwith the shaft 24 and the lower flange I2 of the frame Ill. The lower flange of the frame is cut away or recessed at I5 to permit the disc 31 to be freed of this engagement when the sliding member 32 is in advanced position. The 50 disc 31 serves as an antifriction member to obviate the need for cams and other devices previously used on this type of opener to force the parts into position, and may be replaced by other antifriction devices,

Cil

To the shaft 24 is also secured the handle 28, which is shaped for convenient manipulation by the fingers of one hand. The shaft 24 carries a flange 30, of greater diameter than the width of the opening I6 in the frame, adapted to engage the outside of the wall I3 of the frame I8. The distance between this flange 30 and the traction wheel 22 is greater than the combined thickness of the washer 26, sliding member 32, and wall I3 to permit not only a free movement of the parts, but a slight swiveling action of the assembly I8. To facilitate this movement the hole I6 in the frame wall I3 is substantially wider than the diameter of the shaft 24.

The can opener is operated in the following manner: With the sliding member 32 in its retrograde position as shown in Figure 1, the can opener is placed to the right of a can A (shown in dot and dash lines) with the cutting member 20 resting on the top C within the bead B of the can. 'Ihe lower flange I2 of the frame rests against the side wall D of the can, and the upper flange I4 rests upon the upper edge of the bead B.

The handle 28 is grasped by the fingers, and the assembly I8 pulled forward until the teeth of the traction wheel 22 engage the lower edge of the can bead B. The handle 28 is then rotated and positively drives the traction wheel assembly I8 and the sliding member 32 forward, and the top C of the can is progressively wedged beneath the cutting member 28, then punctured by it.

When the traction wheel assembly I8 has reached its forward position, shown in Figure 3, and the top C of the can has been punctured, the disc 31 drops into the recess I5, the shoulder 48 of the sliding member 32 encounters the forward edge of the recess I'I, and further forward movement of the sliding member 32 and traction wheel assembly I8 with relation to the frame I8 is prevented. Thereupon any further rotation of the handle 28 advances the entire can opener about the rim of the can and the edge of the cutting member 28 cuts out the top C of the can.

In the preferred embodiment of the device, the sliding member 32 is shown with a flange 38 at its upper edge to bear against the wall I3 of the frame I while the can opener is applied to a can and during the puncturing operation to insure engagement of the traction wheel 22 with the lower edge of the can bead B. This is shown in Figure 2. When the puncture is complete and the sliding member has advanced to its forward position, this flange 38 drops into the recess II in the frame I0 and permits a small swiveling movement of the traction wheel assembly with respect to the frame, which contributes to the ease of operation of the device and accommodates irregularities in the can, such as the side seam and unavoidable variation encountered in the manufacture of cans.

In the normal cutting position of the wheel assembly I8, it is canted slightly from its position shown in Figure 4 in the counterclockwise direction, the washer 26 bearing against the bead B and the traction wheel 22 being out of contact with the side wall of the can. When a thicker portion of the bead, due, for example, to the seam in the side wall of the can, comes into contact with the washer 26, the traction wheel assembly I8 is swiveled in the clockwise direction into the position shown in Figure 4.

It will be noted that this swiveling has no effect upon the relation of the blade 20 to the top of the can, and the can opener is in this respect self-adjusting. The result of this self-adjustment is that my can opener operates just as easily when passing the seam as on any other portion of the can.

Although the invention has been disclosed in connection with the specific details of a preferred embodiment thereof, it must be understood that such details are not intended to be limitative of the invention except in so far as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, and a traction member assembly movably mounted on the frame for movement into and out of cutting position, said assembly including a traction member to engage the lower side of the can bead, means for operating the traction member, and means for reducing the friction between said traction member assembly and frame so that the grip of the cutting member on the can will be greater than the forward pull or drag of said assembly on the frame while making the puncture, said means comprising a member interposed between a movable portion of the traction member assembly and a portion of the frame.

2. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, a vplate capable of longitudinal movement with respect to said frame, a flange upon said plate, a recess in said frame to `receive said ange when the plate is in advanced position, a traction wheel to engage the lower side of the can bead, a shaft therefor journaled in said plate and capable of a transverse swiveling movement with respect to the frame, means for turning the traction wheel shaft, and a washer of greater diameter than the traction wheel mounted adjacent thereto to engage the side face of the can bead and thereby position said traction wheel for engagement with only the lower edge of the can bead.

3. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, guides on the frame to locate the frame with relation to the top bead and side wall of a can, a traction wheel to engage the lower side of the can bead, a shaft therefor, means for turning the traction wheel, a sliding member in which the traction wheel is journaled,. and friction reducing means provided for the sliding member and traction wheel operative when the traction wheel initially engages the lower side of the can bead to assist in bringing the sliding member and traction wheel into cutting relation with respect to the cutting member merely by the turning of the traction wheel.

4. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, guides on the frame to locate the frame with relation to the top bead and side wall of a can, a traction wheel to engage the lower side of the can bead, a shaft therefor, means for turning the traction wheel, a sliding member capable of horizontal movement along the frame in which the traction wheel is journaled, and a disc within the sliding member serving as a bearing between the traction wheel shaft and the frame.

5. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, guides on the frame to locate the frame with relation to the top bead and side wall of a can, a traction Wheel to engage the lower side of the can bead,

means for turning the traction wheel, a sliding member in which the traction wheel is journaled, a Washer mounted between said traction wheel and the sliding member and extending beyond the periphery of the traction wheel to bear against the bead of the can.

6. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, guides on the frame to locate the frame with relation to the top bead and side wall of a can, a traction wheel to engage the lower` side of the can bead, means for turning the traction wheel, a sliding member capable of horizontal movement along the frame in which the traction wheel is journaled, said sliding member having a flange at its upper edge to force lthe traction wheel toward the can, and a disc within the sliding member, the periphery thereof being in contact with the traction wheel shaft and the frame.

7. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, guides on the frame to locate the frame with relation to the top bead and side Wall of a can, a traction wheel to engage the lower side of the can bead, means for turning the traction wheel, a sliding member capable of horizontal movement along the frame in which the traction wheel is journaled, said sliding member having a flange at its upper edge to force the traction Wheel toward the can, a washer of greater diameter than the traction Wheel and mounted adjacent thereto to prevent the traction wheel from bearing against the can wall, and a disc within the sliding member, the periphery thereof being in contact with the traction Wheel shaft and the frame.

8. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted on said frame, a traction member assembly mounted upon the frame and capable of longitudinal movement with relation thereto, a handle for operating the traction member, and a roller interposed between a rotating portion of the traction member assembly and a portion of the frame to reduce the friction between the traction member assembly and .the frame.

9. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted on said frame, a traction member assembly mounted upon the frame and capable of longitudinal movement with relation thereto, a handle for operating the traction member, and a roller interposed between a rotating portion of the traction member assembly and a portion of the frame to reduce the friction between the traction member assembly and the frame and to assist in impelling the traction member assembly forward into the cutting position.

10. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, guides on the frame to locate the frame with relation to the top bead and side Wall of a can, a traction wheel to engage the lower side of the can bead, a shaft therefor, means for turning the traction wheel, a sliding member in which the traction wheel is journaled, and a roller carried by the sliding member interposed between the traction wheel shaft and a portion of the frame to reduce the friction and to assist in impelling the traction member assembly forward into the cutting position.

11. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, a traction wheel to engage the lower side of the can bead, means for turning the traction wheel, and a rotatable member of greater diameter than the traction wheel mounted coaxially with and immediately adjacent said traction wheel, said rotatable member having a portion engaging the side face of the can bead and positioned to prevent the .traction Wheel from engaging the side wall of the can.

12. In a can opener, the combination of a frame, a cutting member mounted thereon, a traction wheel assembly capable of movement into and out of cutting position with respect to said frame and cutting member, said assembly including a traction wheel to engage the lower side of the can bead, means for turning the traction wheel, and a rotatable member of greater diameter than the traction wheel mounted coaxially with and immediately adjacent said traction wheel, said rotatable member having a portion engaging the side face of the can bead and positioned to prevent the traction wheel from engaging the side wall of the can.

REYBU'RN T. CHASE. 

